Chapter 36.

"All you have to do is pretend as if you're buying the company, piece of cake."

"You'll be buying it under a company name that belongs to me, but he won't have any idea about that."

Nicholas said and his friend Marcel nodded his head.

"I understand, but I still don't understand your motive Nick. Why do you suddenly want to buy such company? It's going to cost you a lot of money too and I don't think it's a good investment."

Marcel was right to be worried but Nicholas knew what he was doing and most especially he knew why he was doing it. It was important.

"I'll update you more about it, the important thing is that they'd never find out you're associated with me and that makes it better."

Marcel raised his eyebrows.

This was madness, he thought. Nick had gone mad, but he was yet to understand the reason why.

The reason why he would want him to buy a company from his own brother without his knowledge.

Marcel and Nick were business partners and they were also friends. Marcel didn't know much about Nick's family but he knew Nick had a difficult relationship with his family, especially his brother Alexander.

Nicholas didn't like talking about it but Marcel could bet that it was nothing more than siblings rivalry. And he suspected that he was about to be used as a pawn in their never ending game.

Marcel would agree though, Nicholas was still his friend, he would always tell him the details of any transaction they made together and this wouldn't be any different.

"What if they don't want to sell?"

Marcel asked the important question and Nicholas shrugged.

He was positive that his father would sell off the company. The Devine company was costing them more than it should, they would want it off their hands. With his father's political campaign and Alexander running the family company, they wouldn't want such liability on their hands. And they also would be too arrogant to hand over the reins of the company to Cara.

"We'll just have to make them an offer they can't refuse."

They'd sell the company, Nicholas just had to make sure they sold it as soon as possible to him.

"Don't forget. You can't mention that you've been affiliated with my company, my brother will definitely look you up and do some background digging just let him know you've never worked directly with me."

Marcel nodded.

"Oh I doubt he'll be able to dig that deep but you're right to be cautious. Trust me, I'll be careful."

Nicholas nodded.

"Thank you Marcel. You don't know how much this means to me."

Marcel nodded as he stood up to leave, taking one last look at Nicholas's scenic office room.

"I'm looking forward to you telling me what this is all about when the sale is complete. I'm sure it'll be quite the interesting story."

Nicholas grinned. He shook his friend's hand and let him leave his office.

An hour later, he collapsed in his chair exhausted and pulled out his phone. He was going to try Cara's number again.

He tried again, same thing.

He sighed. The past few days he had been trying to reach her had been unsuccessful.

And he largely avoided to meet her at home or work because he wasn't ready to face Alexander.

They had not set eyes on each other ever since that night, but knowing Alexander, Nicholas was sure that a meeting with his brother wasn't too far away in the future.

Alexander would come to talk, to gloat. And Nicholas would let him, because he at least deserved that.

But what he wouldn't let him do is force Cara into a relationship she didn't want to be in.

Not unless he was sure Cara wanted to be with him.

He looked around and sighed, as far as he was concerned he was done for the day, he'd pick up from where he left off the next day. He looked around and picked up his suit jacket, ready to head home and have a few hours of rest.

He wasn't as surprised as he should have been to meet Alexander at his office lobby. The secretary temp Tom standing and looking like a deer in headlight as he saw Nicholas approach them.

"Sorry Mr Green, I was just asking him if he had an appointment with you."

"It's okay Tom."

Nicholas said as he looked Alexander dead in the eyes.

Alexander looked around the lobby with a smirk on his face.

There was a devious smile with something that looked like jealousy in his eyes. Nicholas didn't miss the look.

He also didn't want his brother to get too comfortable in his office, after all it was his company. He didn't want to give him the impression to think he could just waltz in anytime.

"This is quite the place you have. I wasn't expecting it to look so...homely."

Alexander said and Nicholas smiled tightly.

"You caught me at a bad time, I'm just leaving."

He said and Alex raised his eyebrow.

"Really? I was hoping we'd have a quick chat."

Nicholas nodded, trying hard to maintain a straight face.

"Very well then, there's a bar a few blocks away from here, I'll meet you there."

With that, he walked away, leaving Alexander with a brooding look.

Barely ten minutes later, the two arrived consecutively at a bar with Nicholas already ordering for a drink at the bar.

The barman was still taking his order while his brother slipped into a stool next to him.

It was midday, barely time for the nightcrawlers to be out so the bar was almost empty, with a few people lounging around the bar and a bartender humming to the jazz music playing.

"What are you drinking?"

Alexander asked and Nicholas shrugged.


"A beer."

He said and his brother nodded.

"I guess that's not bad. Never pegged you for the beer type though."

"Let's stop with the small talk Alex, why are you really here?"

Nicholas snapped and Alex shifted in his chair.

"I just wanted to know why you did it. I mean... I need to know..."

"Of all the women in the world, why did it have to be her?"

Nicholas could hear Alexander's voice breaking and he looked away briefly, for once, he admitted, he felt a bit of shame for what he did.

He took a mouthful of his beer and gulped hard.

"When it first happened, we were both drunk, I thought you guys were done with each other, we both did. I know that's not an excuse but it's the honest truth."

There was a long silence between the two of them before Nicholas spoke up again.

"I want you to know it's not what you're thinking, I didn't do it to spite you or anything like that..."

"Oh? So what's it like? Because you obviously knew she's going to marry me and still didn't give a flying fuck about that!"

"Even after that night, the two of you continued to meet each other. I had no idea you were at that convention she went to at New Jersey."

Nicholas flinched a bit at his brother's tone, concentrating on the colour of his beer to avoid looking into his eyes.

"You get away with a lot of shit Nick. You always have, ever since we were young. I'm not letting you get away with this."

"What do you want me to do Alex? Do you want me to apologise?"

He blurted out and Alexander's eyes widened.

"You know, it just occurred to me that you never properly apologised."

If it was an apology he wanted then Nicholas was more than ready to give him one, anything for the conversation to end.

"I'm sorry Alexander. I truly am."

"For what? Getting caught?"

Alexander retorted.

Nicholas sighed.

"I honestly don't know why we're even having this conversation. What do you want Alexander? What do you really want?"

"I get that you're hurt, I'm truly sorry, I really am. You're moving on with the wedding and quite frankly we've never had much of a relationship before so I'm not seeing the point of this little chit chat."

"You're not seeing the point? Of course you aren't. Maybe because you're not actually sorry in the first place. Would you take it back? Would you take it all back if you're really sorry? Everything you've had with her?"

"Stop this Alexander... You're only hurting yourself. You should go home."

"Hurting myself?! As if you would care!"

He scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

"You haven't given a flying fuck about me in years. That's why you had the galls to even do this. Do you even like her? Or was she just like the other whores for you?"

"Cara wasn't like that. I never thought about her that way never!"

Nicholas replied sharply.

Alexander raised his eyebrows, that was new. He didn't expect his brother to speak so defensively of Cara, but it did confirm his suspicions.

"So you do like her? Interesting."

"I seem to remember a particular time when you were trying to talk me out of marrying her."

Nicholas shrugged.

"I was only doing you a favour. I didn't want the two of you to be stuck in a loveless marriage that would be doomed to collapse in a few months."

"You know this Alexander."

He added desperately.

"Such an interesting take you have on my relationship. Tell me, did Cara tell you this? Did she tell you she doesn't love me anymore? Because I certainly love her and I'm not letting her go that easily."

"Well then, suit yourself. It's only a matter of time before she finds a way and gets out of the sham you call a  marriage."

He said as he stood up and walked out of the bar, not even caring if his brother had more to say.

He heard enough already.